Question

What were the impacts of soviet socialist society?

Answer 1

In a socialist society, absolute surplus product value is still produced by workers in surplus labor time. The value of a commodity is the content and basic of the exchange value (price), but it is not equal to the exchange value of the commodity. The surplus product value, which is realized in the process of exchanging use value, is the relative surplus product value which is realized through the commodity’s price fluctuating up and down around the commodity’s value.

The realization of the relative surplus product value is because when commodities are exchanged, various special conditions, characteristics, and factors make the price inevitably deviate from the value. For example, if supply exceeds demand or demand exceeds supply, the difference of a favorable climate, geographical position and environment, living customs, and so on would make the price inevitably deviate up or down from the value. Another situation is that one can’t directly see the relativity of surplus product value from its appearance, but it also realizes the surplus product value relatively. Such as the law of surplus product value of service quality, the law of surplus product value of capital turnover and so on, the main feature as shown is not the price fluctuations up and down around value, but the constant changes in surplus product value in line with the changes in sales volume.

Another situation is the law of surplus product value in the supermarket. Its exchange value (price) is seemingly low, as if it deviates from value. This is not because supply exceeds demand, and in many people’s opinion it looks like quick turnover and more return with small profits. In fact, this is not small profit, but the law of quick turnover and more return with large profits.

Under the socialist system, the state stopped the practice of ‘big rice pot’ and streamlined the production relations during the commodity production process, so that it can conform to the development level of productivity in a certain stage and build a direct relation between surplus product value, which is realized by the enterprise, and the benefit of the workers. Therefore, productivity would develop rapidly and the benefit could increase sharply.

After implementation of contracted responsibility linking remuneration to output in rural areas and coalition of industry, agriculture and business, the farmers (originally the people’s community members) become the real subject in socialist production relations and the source of productivity. At the same time, it builds a direct relation between the benefits of management production and the benefits of members and gives full play to the potential of productivity to increase the surplus product value exponentially.

The law of surplus product value in socialist society has gradually been mastered and applied by more and more people. It will surely manifest its vigor and prompt the capital accumulation as well as economic development in the construction of socialism. The speed of the socialist construction in China will surprise the world for sure.

To conclude, the surplus value theory of Marx is still applicable in the development of a socialist market economy and will never lose its efficacy. What we should reconsider are just to whom should the surplus value belong, how the superstructure allots it, and how to utilize it to solve a series of social problems so as to promote the material and spiritual civilization as well as human progress. However, the surplus value must be realized through a process including production, circulation, and consumption before the surplus value comes to the consumer and is consumed by them at last. If consumers in the process of exchange could not consume the commodity, the wealth value and certain surplus value of the products will not be realized. Instead, it will lead to reduction or loss of interest or even bankruptcy of the enterprises. This law is not only a universal economic law and a great natural law, but also an eternal law. It is only a problem whether the people have realized, handled, and applied the law or not. The author did not mention consumption many times in this discourse. It is only necessary to reveal the law that the accumulation of surplus value can only be achieved through consumption at the same time; the regulation of surplus value is also an intrinsic law that consumption creates wealth and the law that consumption creates surplus value and surplus product value.